Part of the Plan
by AFanOfFandoms
Summary: Alma Dray wasn't one to be given an explanation such as the one describing Dylan's life and walk away; she had a funny feeling that the road the Horsemen had just been set on was going to be a bumpy one, and she was sure as hell in for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Looks who's writing another new fic when she has neither the time nor the energy to dedicate to it... woops?

So, some of you may have noticed that I had a bit of an identity crisis and changed my name... I am the same author that was once BananaLollypop, I just decided that the name I picked when I was 12 perhaps wasn't the best anymore. If you're ever over on AO3, I have a very similr account name over there (FanOfFandoms -check it out!).

I wrote this fic because I was basically outraged that they cut Alma out of NYSM2 without any explanation; like, come on, simple 'oh yeah, that didn't work out' from Dylan would have been eNOUGH WHY WOULDN'T THEY GIVE US CLOSURE?! *breathes*

But yeah, I basically reimagined the second movie but with Alma; I'll try my hardest not to make it too similar to the film! ENJOY!

* * *

Dylan had had a really, _really_ long day.

He knew, really, he did, that leading the so-called 'investigation' into the Horsemen and their disappearances was an essential part to keeping the group safe. That was why, despite how difficult it was to maintain his cover and appease the ever-eager group of magicians, he'd persevered and made sure that the new head agent on the case was always looking in the wrong direction.

Dylan walked in the door of his apartment that evening even more exhausted than usual. It had been a rough couple of days, if he was honest, to the point where he couldn't help but collapse onto the sofa before he'd even removed his shoes.

"Hey."

He opened his eyes to find Alma standing above him, running a hand through his hair.

"Bonjour." He replied.

"You okay?" she asked, moving to sit next to him, a concerned look on her face.

Dylan turned slightly to face her, shrugging. He stayed silent for a moment before talking, "Henley's gone."

Alma, to her credit, didn't even look surprised, "You couldn't persuade her to stay?"

He shook his head, "I tried," he said almost defensively, "Atlas tried, Jack tried, Merritt tried… she wanted out. I don't think anything was going to convince her otherwise at this point."

Alma reached out and took one of his hands in hers, "It's not your fault."

"I know," Dylan said, but his voice was quiet and just wholly unconvincing, "I just… I wish I'd noticed earlier."

She didn't respond to that, knowing, from experience, that Dylan wasn't often one who needed to be comforted. "So, what are you going to do?" she asked, "You can't let Daniel and Merritt go on as a pair, you know that wouldn't work."

"I know, I know," Dylan said, running a hand over his face, "I was thinking, maybe… we could bring Jack back. It's just an idea!" he said, pointing at her firmly as he saw her face light up with a smile, "I need to run it by the Eye and even then it's going to be tricky with the FBI and everything…"

"Jack needs to be back on stage, Dylan," Alma said decisively, "You've seen how restless he gets. He needs drive, purpose."

Dylan looked at her through narrowed eyes, "You've been spending too much time with them," he said wearily, "You're starting to sound as impatient as they are."

"Well, can you blame them?!" Alma asked, standing up and gently pulling her hand from his, moving to the kitchen area, "It's been six months, Dylan. They're performers who are being asked _not_ to perform; is it really so difficult to believe that they'd want to get back to work?"

She turned up the heat on the stove, slowly warming up the stew she'd made for their dinner.

"I'll call the Eye in the morning," Dylan said after a moment, "But even if they do let Jack back out there… it might be best to have a fourth person as well."

"I agree," Alma replied, leaning against the counter and looking at him expectantly, "Can I help you choose?"

Dylan cross the room to stand in front of her, resting his hands on her hips, "Only if you promise to stop bugging me about getting them back out there," he said, kissing her lightly, "I get enough of that from them."

Alma smirked, kissing him again, "Deal."

* * *

The house was quiet without Henley there. Daniel hated the quiet.

Obviously, he preferred complete silence over the sounds of Merritt and Jack joking around, usually at his expense, or over yet another conversation between Dylan and one of them about how they were 'still waiting on the Eye… be patient'…

But he missed hearing Henley's laugh (it was hard not to hear her laugh, regardless of how much space was between them). He missed her nagging him to join in with them, to stop hiding away and practicing his tricks alone when Merritt had come up with some new drinking game that would inevitably end in the mentalist himself getting far too drunk for anyone's liking. He even missed the inappropriate banter she shared with Merritt that Daniel firmly stated did not make him jealous despite it being a lie every time.

He missed Henley. A _lot_.

Their house in North Carolina was a vast improvement on the apartment the Eye had originally given them in New York; this house had a garden, with a view, and despite there being enough bedrooms for them to have one each, Jack and Merritt still insisted on sharing the bunkbeds in what he'd assumed had once been a child's bedroom. Daniel had been sure to comment about how appropriate that was for the two other men.

After six months, though… the house was starting to lose its appeal. Daniel would give anything to be where they were a year ago, jumping from hotel to hotel doing shows to get their name out, building a fan base and getting ready for the biggest shows of their lives.

Their new life, in this quaint little house in the middle of nowhere? Something of an anti-climax.

The morning after Henley left, Daniel woke up earlier than usual and took himself off on a walk. He didn't trust himself to be even slightly patient with either Merritt or Jack that day, or for several days after.

He wasn't annoyed at her for leaving. He'd considered it himself for a few times but Daniel was who he was; everyone knew that he wasn't one to just give up this kind of opportunity because he couldn't play the long game.

What annoyed him about Henley's departure was that she hadn't told him. She'd left, seemingly out of the blue, leaving Dylan to break the news (Merritt knew though; of course he did, because he could read them all like books by now and Henley had always been an open one).

There was a small forest area not far from the house; Daniel had found a small clearing when they'd first arrived and claimed it as his own, going there whenever the waiting, the wondering, got too much.

Today… today was too much.

He'd tried to be there for her; after their last heist, after the realisation that the Eye was real and they were all in and none of them were going to prison, he'd tried to give a relationship with her a go. He'd taken her on dates, listened to her, done everything he could to make her believe that he _did_ care (because she was Henley; _of_ _course_ he cared).

It had become clear, though, to both of them, that they just didn't… fit. He loved her and she loved him but when they were put together it was just…

This was the kind of thought that had been plaguing him for a while. By that point, all things 'Henley' had rolled into one giant ball of _thought_ in his head and he just played it all through over and over again until he convinced himself that the entire plan, whatever it was, was all going to fall apart.

"You have this look on your face, you know," Alma had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, but Daniel wondered when it was that he'd closed his eyes, "You can always tell when you're thinking about her because you look like you're about to explode."

Daniel didn't say anything, simply staring up at her. She came to sit down beside him and they both looked out across the fields that laid beyond the trees, taking in the natural beauty.

"How is it going to work without her?" Daniel muttered after a minute, not necessarily searching for an answer. "Merritt and I can't go out alone, we'll be a laughing stock. Jack's technically dead…"

"Much to his disgust," Alma agreed, "I know, Daniel. You remember… that thing Dylan always says? 'Be patient. Stay the course-'"

"'… The Eye has a plan', yes, I know," Daniel interrupted her, "But surely, whatever they had planned involved Henley and now she's… she's gone."

Alma could see him retreat back into himself again so she waited before talking, "Dylan spoke to the Eye this morning."

Daniel's head shot up, his eyes lit up with the kind of hope that had been absent for weeks.

"There's nothing concrete yet," Alma warned him, "But they're readjusting. Obviously, Henley leaving has changed things, but they have got a plan. You know I wouldn't say it unless it were true, no?"

Daniel nodded once, "So, soon?" he asked, "They… they're going to get back to us soon?"

Alma smiled slightly, resting a hand on his knee, "Give it a few more weeks. If there is nothing by then, I shall contact them myself, and then they really should be worried."

Alma patted his knee once before standing and moving away. She glanced back as she did so, studying his face again; she could tell that Henley was still there, an ever-present thought in his head, but he didn't look like he was going to explode anymore. She took that as a small victory and made her way back to the house.

* * *

Dylan took a breath before knocking quietly on Jack's bedroom door. The youngest Horseman had, apparently, been in his room since Henley left the night before; Dylan couldn't blame him for wanting the space.

Part of him wondered if now was the right time to be telling him the news he'd just received from the Eye (another part was telling him that he could answer that question by asking Alma but he already knew what she'd say and he was still doubting himself).

There was silence on the other side of the door until, finally, the door opened, revealing a slightly dishevelled Jack.

"Sorry, did… did I wake you?" Dylan asked. Jack shook his head, opening the door wider to let him in.

"I was just dozing," he replied, "I didn't sleep that well last night."

Dylan nodded, empathising entirely as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I, er… I spoke to the Eye this morning."

Jack flopped back on his bed, eyebrows raised, "Yeah? Did they set Henley up okay?" Dylan could hear a hint of bitterness behind the genuine concern in his tone.

"Henley made her choice," Dylan said quietly after a moment, "The Eye will give her a new life, but that doesn't mean she's gone forever. You can stay in touch."

Jack didn't reply, simply unlocking his phone and scrolling through it absentmindedly.

Dylan considered going into the conversation more, but stopped himself; they had more pressing matters to deal with and he felt like the Henley Conversation should be saved until all of the remaining Horsemen were present and willing to actually listen to what he was going to say.

"I didn't actually talk to the Eye about Henley," Dylan said, "I called them to talk about you."

Jack seemed to freeze, looking up from his phone to meet Dylan's eyes. "About me?"

Dylan nodded, allowing himself to smile slightly, "They want you back in the game, Jack."

Jack's face lit up and he jumped off his bed in excitement, "Seriously?! They're letting me get back out there?"

"I still need you for a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff," Dylan said, "But yeah. We're going to look into you coming back from the dead."

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed, "Man, this is great! I can't wait to get back on stage!"

Dylan smirked properly at the younger man's excitement, "Yeah, well, we've still got a long way to go. We haven't got anything confirmed in terms of shows yet and you know what the Eye's like; it could be weeks before we hear anything. All I'm saying is… get practicing, okay? Stop trying to teach Merritt, focus on yourself. He's probably a lost cause anyway if what Alma says is true…"

"She's pretty good at it, you know," Jack said with a grin, "The card throwing. She's got the technique _down_ , I'm starting to get scared that she'll be better than me…"

Dylan rolled his eyes, "I can honestly say that you're the best at what you do, Jack," he said. He started to make his way before the door, pulling it open before Jack stopped him.

"Hey, Dylan, wait," there was a sudden air of seriousness as Jack looked at him pleadingly, "Just… promise me that this isn't just an attempt to make me feel better about Henley leaving. I don't want to get all excited about being a proper part of the group again just to be told that I'm going to be stuck backstage."

Dylan sighed, "Obviously there's a lot of things to consider and, more importantly, a lot of things we can't predict," he said, "But I promise, I'll try my absolute hardest to get you back out there. And if they say no to me, then they'll have to take Alma on and I know from experience that that's not pretty."

Jack smiled slightly at that, "Okay."

Dylan nodded to him once before leaving the kid alone.

* * *

He and Alma had both agreed that he was the best one to give Jack the news about getting back on stage, whilst she was definitely better suited to comforting Daniel and assuring him that they weren't just sitting around waiting for nothing.

They'd tossed a coin for Merritt.

Dylan had lost.

Merritt, out of everyone, had been the least surprised by Henley's absence. He'd also been the least bothered about the fact that they had to stay out of the limelight; he'd stated that if it was between going underground and going to prison, he'd happily choose the former.

Dylan had suspected that that had been a cleverly believable lie, but decided not to push.

When the Horsemen had first gone into hiding, the dynamic between the four of them and Dylan had been… odd. He'd gone from their worst enemy to the mastermind behind their entire operation in the space of about a minute and once they were on the other side it took some adjusting to.

Dylan knew that Daniel had found his feet as the head of the group, which was fine; Dylan was very much behind the scenes the majority of the time, and they needed someone to take the lead in the spotlight.

Henley, perhaps unknowingly, had taken up a position at his side; there was a clearer divide than there had been back in the days when she was his assistant, but nonetheless, they bounced off each other well, when they weren't trying to kill each other.

Merritt and Jack's roles were odd. Neither of them did acts that were especially typical of magic shows, which was perhaps highlighted by the performances put on by Daniel and Henley, but they undoubtedly _worked_ as members of the group. A bromance had quickly been established between them, with gentle banter about Jack being a 'child' and Merritt being an 'old man' being thrown around all day every day.

Merritt and Daniel had a love/hate relationship that often resulted in many a heated conversation that would inevitably be broken up by either Henley or Alma. Jack occasionally made an effort to stop any conflict before it started, but that was a rare occurrence considering Merritt and Daniel's fights went from zero to sixty before anyone else recognised that any conflict even existsed. Nonetheless, the two shared a grudging respect for the other's talent and they had definitely learnt to put up with each other in the half a year since completing their first set of heists.

Merritt and Henley had shared something special; there was a level of understanding between them that wasn't shared by any other pairing in the group. Dylan had never really understood it until he saw the look on Merritt's face when she announced that she was leaving.

Whilst Jack and Daniel had both seemed a bit betrayed and hurt, Merritt was neither; on the contrary, he looked like he hadn't expected anything different.

Merritt answered much quicker than Jack had when Dylan knocked. The mentalist just smirked slightly.

"You lost the coin toss, huh?" he asked. Dylan shrugged.

"You tell me," he replied, following the man back into the room, "Is this going to be a shitty conversation?"

Merritt shrugged, leaning against the wall and facing him, "Something tells me you've got some good news to give amongst all this tragedy."

Dylan didn't miss the sarcasm in the man's voice, "Look, joke all you want, I know you're genuinely upset about her leaving."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I thought I was finally getting close to getting into her pants." Merritt tried to laugh at his own joke but it trailed off after a few seconds. Dylan didn't say a word, just studying him until Merritt felt compelled to say more, "Okay, fine. I'm sad that she left. But I can't say that I blame her. Or that I didn't see it coming."

Dylan saw the brief expression on his face then and sighed, "You've been thinking about leaving too." He didn't ask it as a question; he didn't need to.

"Well, it's been months, Dylan," Merritt reasoned, "And I know we've all been rehearsing and practicing and whatnot but… I know I'm not the only one thinking that we're training for nothing. Henley was just the only one brave enough to shout it out and do something about it."

"I know," Dylan said, "Jack and Atlas have both voiced their concerns as well. That's where my good news comes in."

Merritt raised his eyebrows, "Then, speak, almighty messenger."

"I've got two pieces," Dylan informed him, "First of all, the Eye have got something in the works. I'm hoping that they'll send me something more concrete over the next few weeks, but in the meantime I've been told to tell you to get practicing. And I mean seriously this time."

"Hey, if you're referring to the fun and games Jack and I have been sharing then I think you should know that you haven't mastered a skill until you can teach it," Merritt said, his tone joking but with a hint of defensiveness behind it.

"Yeah, well, Jack's back in the game now," Dylan said, "So he's going to have to start working on a set instead of just attempting to decapitate anyone who walks through his door."

Merritt breathed a laugh, "I don't know how he does it," he admitted, running a hand over his head. "Was that the second piece of good news?"

"No," Dylan replied, "The second piece was that I'm cutting you loose."

Merritt simply raised his eyebrows at that, blinking at Dylan silently, "Well, I can honestly say that I _didn't_ see that coming."

"Oh, not _permanently_ , obviously," Dylan said quickly, "But I feel like you've all had enough of this house. I need to be closer to the FBI, I can't keep taking vacation days if I'm going to keep you guys off their radar. You need a break from each other to find yourselves again, and after that… _then_ we can work on getting you all acting like a single organism."

Merritt scoffed quietly, "Yeah, good luck with that last part," he said.

"Well, I feel like you guys will fall into shape once Alma's worked her magic," Dylan reasoned, "Get packing. Unless you want to stay here?"

Dylan was genuinely asking him then, because he honestly hadn't considered before that moment that maybe they wanted to stay together; the Horsemen had been living together for what was almost two years by that point and no one had died yet.

Merritt considered this for a moment before shaking his head, "I think we all need some time out," he agreed, "Besides, I'm expecting whatever lodgings you've fixed for us to be pretty damn swanky, or I'll be filing a complaint."

Dylan smirked, "With who, the Eye?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Merritt grinned, "With Alma."

Dylan swallowed slightly, making a mental note to have Alma look over the apartments he'd picked out; he didn't doubt Merritt in the slightest, and a disgruntled girlfriend was the last thing he needed…

* * *

"Wait, you want us to leave?" Jack asked, "I thought we were just starting to get into something new!"

"Yeah, Jack's right," Daniel added before Dylan could explain, "How are we supposed to plan a show when we're dotted all over the place? And won't the FBI be on us straight away if we start moving around again?"

"Woah, guys," Dylan stopped them holding his hands up, immediately regretting getting all three of them together to tell them the news, "Just stop for a second, okay?"

Merritt rolled his eyes and Daniel and Jack both fell silent as Alma pitched in, "We're not making you leave," she said, "You're welcome to stay here if you want to."

"We're giving you options," Dylan continued, "I know that the last half a year has been… tough. We don't want you guys feeling the same way Henley did, so we figured having your own space somewhere closer to the city might be a better option for all of you."

All three men considered this for a moment.

"I guess it would be nice to be practicing on the streets again," Jack said. Dylan settled him with a firm stare.

"If I find out that you've been incarcerated for petty theft when you're supposed to be dead, I will rethink the decision to let you back on stage."

Jack held his hands up, "Hey, if I get caught, then you should probably throw me out the group anyway." He said with a smirk.

"So, just to clarify… we're still working together. We're still going to be meeting up and all that?" Daniel asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Well, I hope so," Dylan said, slightly amused as he crossed his arms, "I don't know how you guys are planning on performing together if you never rehearse as a group."

He placed three files on the table, "These are the apartments we picked out and had the Eye approve," he said, "Take your pick, fight it out, whatever. Just let me know who's going to be staying where by the end of the weekend, okay?" He made his way towards the door, catching Alma's eye on the way; she made a subtle 'two-minutes' gesture and he nodded, making his way out.

Alma stood opposite Daniel, Merritt and Jack, her arms crossed, "I wanted to sound you out on something the Eye has planned before Dylan and I do anything about it."

The three men glanced at each other confusedly.

"Okay?" Daniel said, "Why do you look so concerned?"

"The Eye wants us to recruit a fourth member for the group," Alma said, "A new female member."

She could tell that all three of them were restraining themselves from bursting out their opinions.

"Henley's been gone two days and they want to replace her already?" Jack muttered, "Jeez, what does that say about _us_?!"

"Well, evidently we lack the female touch, which in this day and age is… well, everything," Merritt said, the sarcasm in his tone only partially genuine.

"No, no, guys, this is a good thing," Daniel said decisively, "This is show business. When one assistant doesn't fit the role, she gets replaced."

"Yeah, but Henley wasn't your _assistant_ , Danny!" Jack said forcefully.

"Yeah, as she reminded me, like, eight thousand times," Daniel muttered, "And don't call me that."

"Woah, guys, stop!" Alma said firmly, "Look, nothing's happening about it yet. You don't need to fall out over this, okay?"

They were all silent for a moment. "Well, it'll probably be good for us all to get a bit of a break from each other," Merritt said, picking up one of the files from the coffee table. He flicked it open, looking over it briefly before nodding, "Yep, that'll do." He stood, handing it to Alma, "Tell Dylan I'll move in as soon as humanely possible." He left the room without another word.

"Tell Dylan I'll take whichever one Atlas doesn't choose." Jack said to Alma, before also leaving the room.

Daniel sighed quietly after Jack left, sitting back in his seat.

"Are you okay?" Alma asked him. Daniel shrugged.

"I'm glad we've got something to work towards." He said. He picked up the two files, opening each of them quickly before giving them to her, "I don't care which one I have," he said, "You pick. You know us well enough by now."

She didn't miss his obvious avoidance of her question, but she didn't question it; god knows, she certainly knew them well, and enough to know that getting Daniel to open up at that point would be as pointless as trying to teach Merritt to throw cards.

* * *

"Merritt wants this one," Alma informed Dylan, finding him sat in their shared bedroom looking at a sheet of blueprints and handing him the folder, "Atlas and Jack didn't care so give this one," she handed him a second file, "To Daniel, and this one," she passed him the last one, "To Jack."

Dylan nodded silently, setting them to one side before returning to looking at the blueprints. Alma raised her eyebrows.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's… confusing," Dylan muttered, "They're provisional plans for the next show, but… God, this is going to take some fixing with the FBI."

Alma took the plans from him, looking over them and copying his frown, "They'll be on you in minutes if they're looking the right way."

Dylan nodded again, his face stretched into what Alma had long since subbed his 'thinking face'. "This is going to be a long game within a long game," he muttered eventually.

Alma smiled slightly, "Then it is just as well you're the expert," she said drily. Dylan smirked slightly at that, taking the plans back and putting them on top of the files.

"Are you coming with me to Washington?" he asked, taking one of her hands in his.

Alma shrugged, "Why not?" she replied, "It's not like I can learn all your tricks if I'm an hour away." Dylan rolled his eyes.

"You've got a lot to learn if you want to know all of them," Dylan said, kissing her lightly.

"Then it's just as well you're still playing the long game, right?" Alma said, smiling into the kiss.

Dylan pulled away after a moment, "What are we going to do if this goes wrong?" he asked, some of his concern finally showing through, "We've already lost Henley. Merritt said he was thinking about going. If we _do_ find a new member and they hate her, then we're basically screwed."

Alma rested a hand on his cheek, "Oh, Dylan," she said smugly, "Then it's just as well I'm here, no?" She patted his cheek gently before standing up and leaving him alone to wonder just how disastrous this plan could be if she _wasn't_ around.

* * *

 **Et voila! I actually have the entire fic planned out (we're probably looking at about 11 chapters) so I'm HOPING that I'll actually be able to finish this one! Reviews give me life (no but seriously, they mean a hell of a lot) so if you fancy dropping a thirty second note then that'd be FAB. Other than that, thank you ever so much for reading, and I shall see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

The freedom that came with living in their own apartments was enough to keep the remaining Horsemen happy for a while; Daniel was glad that he could finally try out his act in private, without Jack or Merritt sniggering in the doorway. Jack and Merritt were glad that they could finally get a moment's peace without Daniel telling them that they should be practicing.

Daniel's new flat was perfect; Alma had chosen well, as he'd known she would. The wooden flooring and exposed brickwork was so _him_ , and once he'd filled the place with his vast collection of bizarre magical items (with the odd sentimental object thrown in) it actually felt like home.

It felt like a new start; a clean slate in which Henley did not feature, meaning that he could put all of his time and energy into perfecting his act, becoming the best magician he could be, dedicating his life to being what the Eye wanted him to be.

Jack had been his first visitor two weeks after they'd all moved out of the big house in North Carolina; by that point, even Daniel had to admit that he was starting to feel kind of lonely. After a year and a half of constantly being around the same people, living alone wasn't exactly how he remembered it.

Merritt arrived just twenty minutes after Jack did, so Daniel suspected that it had been some sort of plan between the two; he didn't care enough to ask, and he even waited a full hour, during which they actually took an interest in each other's lives, before mentioning the 'P' word.

"So, you guys _have_ been practicing, right?"

Jack groaned dramatically, pulling out his wallet and grudgingly handing Merritt some money. Daniel frowned.

"I thought we had a deal about you guys betting on me?"

Merritt smirked, "Come on, Atlas, it was too good an opportunity to miss!" he said, "You should be grateful; I bet in your favour. Jack said you wouldn't last ten minutes." Daniel turned his glare to Jack, who shrugged.

"Sorry, man, but after over a year of having you on our backs, I thought you'd want to get straight back into the swing of things."

Daniel rolled his eyes, "Okay, but seriously: have you be working on tricks and stuff?"

"Of course we have," Merritt said, sitting back in his seat and putting his feet on the table, grinning when Daniel knocked them straight off again, "It's kind of hard to put a set together when we don't know what kind of show we'll be putting on, though."

"Then practice everything," Daniel said, "We've got to be ready for any scenario."

Jack and Merritt glanced at each other and grinned conspiratorially.

"Wait, what was that?" Daniel asked, pointing at them both suspiciously.

"What was what?" Jack asked, his face innocent.

"That _look_ , you know I don't like it when you guys look at each other like that, what are you planning?" Daniel said, the agitation in his tone evident. Jack had to suppress a grin.

"Jack and I have just been trying our hands at something new," Merritt jumped in, his tone reassuring despite how much he wanted to burst out laughing, "It can't hurt to have a couple more weapons in our arsenal, right?"

Daniel looked surprised but there was a hint of a smile on his face, "Oh. Well, it might be good to get some new stuff into our sets, especially now that Henley's gone."

Neither Jack nor Merritt had worked out how exactly Daniel could be so calm and collected when mentioning Henley's absence; it was like he believed that she'd simply gone on holiday and that she'd be back at any moment.

"Great," Merritt said quickly, "So we'll get working on that. What about you, have you got anything interesting up your sleeve?"

Merritt had long since learned that the way to keep Daniel from asking about _him_ , was to get him talk about himself; it worked like a charm.

"Well, I've been working with this idea for our entry…"

* * *

Beyond 'female', the Eye hadn't exactly given Dylan much of an idea in regards to what they wanted the newest Horseman to be like. Which was why he was having so much difficulty finding someone to join the three remaining members for the next project.

Or… that was the excuse he was giving, anyway.

Alma, of course, saw right through him.

"You can't just keep finding problems with people just because they're not Henley," Alma said, shrugging off her jacket as they got home after going to yet another magic show that Dylan deemed as 'unsatisfactory'.

"I'm not!" Dylan protested, kicking his shoes off and shutting the door behind him, "I just think that we have to find the right person, you know?"

"Well, it's a bit difficult when you're judging them so harshly," Alma said, rolling her eyes, "Especially when they don't _know_ that you're judging them."

"That's how the Eye works, Alma," Dylan said, following her into the kitchen, "You don't get to audition on your own terms; you get to audition on theirs."

"Well, no wonder they only take on new recruits twice a century," Alma muttered.

Dylan sighed, sitting at the kitchen table as Alma got them both drinks from the fridge. "I just… I want to find the right person for them, you know?"

Alma nodded, sitting down opposite him and passing him his drink, "Fine," she replied, "But you've got to be a bit more open, Dylan. The girl tonight was good! Very funny, her tricks were impressive…"

"She's also the girl who pulled a hat out of a rabbit in front of Atlas," Dylan pointed out, "Or tried to, at least. He's not going to forget that easily, you know what he's like…"

Alma groaned, "See? This is what I'm talking about!" she said, "The thing with the rabbit was _eight years ago_ , Dylan! What she did tonight was clever, funny, entertaining… come on, didn't you want my input on this because I have an outsider's view?"

"I seem to remember wanting you to make sure that the others don't hate her," Dylan said, frowning slightly.

Alma sat back, grinning, "Well, then," she said decisively, "They won't hate this one. I'm certain."

Dylan's frown deepened, "I just… I don't want to screw this up. God, if Henley had only stayed a bit longer…"

"Then nothing would have happened," Alma said, taking one of his hands in hers, "I know it's awful, but… Henley leaving made the Eye realise that the Horsemen aren't just magicians: they're people. And people don't wait around forever."

He heard the hidden meaning in her tone; this new girl wouldn't wait around forever if he didn't get her interested in the Eye, and the Horsemen definitely wouldn't wait around much longer if he didn't start producing results.

"We'll go and see one more person," he decided after a moment, "If she's no good… We'll go back to this Lula person, get her to show us what she's really got. If you still like her and I'm more convinced… _then_ we'll go with her. Deal?"

Alma nodded, sipping her drink, "Deal," she replied, "But I'm telling you, she's the one."

Dylan simply raised his eyebrows, looking at his girlfriend sceptically, not committing himself to making a decision until he'd exhausted every available option.

* * *

"Dude, seriously? It took me like three days to learn how to throw cards, how are you this awful?"

"Well, excuse me, kid, but I don't see you being any better at hypnosis!"

"What… what are you guys doing?" Daniel asked, entering his living room two weeks later to find Jack and Merritt stood opposite each other, the floor between them covered in scattered cards.

"We're… trying something new," Merritt offered, a small grin on his face, "Namely, each other's talents."

"This… how is this helpful?!" Daniel demanded, walking between them agitatedly, "We could be doing a show in a matter of weeks, and you two are… are playing around? Aren't you taking this seriously?!"

"Danny, it's been a month since we last heard from Dylan," Jack pointed out, slightly quieter now, "We can practice and put sets together all we want, but… there's not much point when we don't know where we'll be doing it, who we'll be doing it for, or what the _point_ of the show is."

"That may be true," Daniel grudgingly admitted after a moment, "But the Eye chose each of us for our unique talents. They chose you," he looked at Merritt, "For your mentalism and hypnotism. And they chose you," he turned to Jack, "For your cardistry and… you know, all your other stuff."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Wow, man, it means a lost that you took the minimal effort in the last year and a half to learn my exact skillset. Thanks a lot, Danny."

"Don't call me that," Daniel said almost reflexively, "And if you can put a definitive term on your wide array of random talents, then I'll apologise, but my _point_ is that now is not the time to be taking this kind of risk. We need to be ready the second the Eye gives us an assignment and this," he gestured at the mess of cards on the floor between the other two men, "Isn't. Helping."

Jack opened his mouth to argue again but caught the subtle raise of Merritt's hand as the older man jumped in, "Okay," he said softly, "You're right. Jack and I will, er… we'll focus on our own 'unique talents', alright?"

Jack settled him with a confused look that Merritt tactfully ignored as Daniel nodded once.

"Good," Daniel said, "Because, with Henley gone, it's all on us now."

* * *

The second time Dylan and Alma went to see Lula, Dylan made a pledge to be more open-minded about her act.

The moment her show started, a little voice in his head said 'she's not an escapologist though, is she?'.

A second later, Alma was nudging him firmly in the ribs with her elbow and glaring at him, "Stop frowning," she muttered, "She hasn't even started yet!"

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered, "I'm trying not to judge her too hard."

"How about you don't judge her at all?" Alma suggested, linking her arm through his, "Just enjoy the show, Dylan."

He looked at her sceptically for a moment, her look unyielding as she dared him to protest. He sighed, "Okay."

Once he'd (reluctantly) resigned himself to not picturing Lula as one of the Horsemen but as a magician in her own right, he started to see what Alma had seen the last time they watched her. She really was funny, loved playing the audience against themselves and was generally quite talented.

He was thoroughly enjoying her show when she caught his eye and grinned slightly.

"You, sir!" she said excitedly, "How would you like to come up and help me with my next trick?"

He froze for a moment, completely unused to not being hidden at the back for a show like this. He could sense the wide grin on Alma's face without looking at her.

"Er, no, no, I think, I, er…" he didn't get any further in his protest before Alma had shoved him closer to the stage. He glanced back and glared at her, only receiving an evil smile in response. He knew what she desperately wanted to say to him: 'what better way to judge someone's talent than to get directly involved in the act?'.

He hadn't disliked her this much since they'd been working together on the Horsemen case.

Lula shook his hand enthusiastically when he got up on stage; he almost expected her to try to take his watch but she made no attempt to do so. She was grinning as she turned him to face the audience.

"Would you like to share your name with this lovely audience, sir?" she asked him.

"Er, Dylan."

"Dylan, huh? Great name! I knew a guy called Dylan once. We dated for a while actually, but it didn't work out."

The audience dutifully 'ahhhhh'-ed in response and she nodded, pretending to wipe a tear away, "I know, I know, it's very sad. I broke up with him, actually, because he didn't appreciate my unique talent for stealing his things." The audience laughed at this and Dylan was beginning to get increasingly uncomfortable with where her story was going.

"He wasn't anything like _this_ Dylan though," Lula carried on, throwing an arm around Dylan's shoulder, "For example, he didn't buy _me_ expensive flowers, like _this_ Dylan does," she held up the receipt from the florists' he'd visited earlier that day to buy flowers for Alma. She was a big fan on spontaneous gifts and _he_ was a big fan of the way her face lit up when he gave them.

He reached into his jacket pocket, which had been empty except for the receipt and that was now just… empty. His eyes widened slightly; he hadn't even slightly felt her reach into his pocket. He could just about make out Alma in the crowd and the look on her face was both impressed and smug.

"Yeah, he also didn't wear a belt, like ever! Weird, right, like who can actually ever buy pants that fit them perfectly?!"

Dylan glanced at her and she was holding his belt up for the entire audience to see. He didn't even dare to check his pants, simply covering his face with his hands and trying to work out how the hell she'd managed to get his _belt_ off without him noticing.

"And he most certainly didn't work for… oh, okay! Maybe I shouldn't announce that to the whole crowd, huh, Dylan?" She handed him back his FBI ID with a grin and he quickly tucked it back into his _inside jacket pocket_. She also passed him his belt and his receipt, offering her hand out to him again. "Dylan, thank you so much for coming up and being such a great sport. Enjoy your work at you-know-where." She winked at him and he simply smiled awkwardly in response before hurrying off the stage and back to Alma's side.

The grin was still on her face when he reached her. "So?" she asked.

Dylan sighed but couldn't keep the smile off his face, "Yeah," he admitted, "She's the one."


End file.
